Absolutely a great game to win because St Benedict’s fielded a good side and the conditions were horrendous. The front row deserves special mention as it had to be rejigged after prop Harry Marshall had his nose re-arranged in the opening minutes!

Geoff Grieves moved out from hhoker to prop and the lasted the 80 minutes! The first half was hard fought with the city side playing into a strong wind. Bennies had lots of territory, using the elements well to keep Carlisle pinned back for lengthy spells.

Some great running and defence kept Carlisle in the game and they picked up a penalty goal and later, after some good approach work a converted try was added giving a 10 pts to 6 pts advantage at the break.

Going into the second half ahead was a bonus and with wind advantage it was judged that it was worth at least 15 pts. Chris Hayes put in a vintage performance barely making a mistake in the second spell. His kicking was above par and his distribution was a huge asset. Eventually, territorial advantage paid off with four tries, coming from good running lines by Raymond Higgins & Tony Palmer.